Diana, Princess of Wales Jewellery 1: November 2002-September 2007

[Warren]

Amethyst v Sapphire

We need an expert on these matters, perhaps a moderator might know the answer!!Thank you for confirming it is Amethysts, which is what I thought all along!

To add to the confusion I have just checked "The Royal Jewels" by Suzy Menkes, third edition 1988. On page 166 there is a photo of Diana wearing much the same dress, but with black gloves and no tiara, but the same necklace and same (I think) earrings.

The caption states "A new necklace using the sapphire watch and ring clusters" which were part of the very impressive and very valuable wedding gift from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Some photographs of the sapphires from this parure show them to be quite blue, as one would expect, but the published photos of this necklace, including the one in "The Royal Jewels" give both the clusters and her earrings (from the same suite) a brownish tinge. Maybe this is why some think they are amethysts, including Debretts.

I have gone through the whole chapter on Diana's jewels and there is nothing about amethyst jewellery apart from a cross she borrowed from Garrards in 1987 for a gala dinner.

The parure utilized sapphires reset from a bracelet from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia with black Tahitian pearls.

Suzy Menkes, who is considered an expert in this area, and branchg (see above) are agreed they are sapphires. However, like much about the Windsor jewels, some things cannot be absolutely certain because Buckingham Palace does not comment on such matters, or as Menkes states in the introduction to her book "a subject that is totally taboo."

Hope this helps!
W
.

 

[wymanda]

Warren,
I hate to disagree here but Menkes is not really that reliable. There have been a number of inaccuracies unearthed in that book. One was the idea that the Nizam tiara was dismantled. Why, if the stones in this necklace are sapphires, did Diana only wear it with purple gowns? Surely she would have worn it with blue gowns as well??

 

[Warren]

Warren,
I hate to disagree here but Menkes is not really that reliable. There have been a number of inaccuracies unearthed in that book. One was the idea that the Nizam tiara was dismantled.

No disagreement Wymanda, as I have no opinion myself whether they are amethysts or sapphires. I just thought I would throw in another source to the mix and members can make of it what they will!

ps.. on the Nizam... According to Menkes the Queen's portrait in the Royal Family Order depicts her wearing the Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara.

W

 

[Squidgy]

Thanks Warren for finding additional comments about the necklace. I must admit I am more confused than ever now.

Also, I hadn't realized when I wrote my last post that sapphires come in many colours other than blue ... I had assumed because the necklace stones were so obviously NOT blue, that they were therefore not sapphires. But I now realize this is not true. A sapphire can be many colours (see http://www.thaigem.com/buyer_sapphire.asp)

The mystery continues ...

 

[Elspeth]

Sapphires are basically any colour of corundum that isn't red; the red ones are rubies. Usually sapphires are shades of blue, and if they're other colours they're usually called "yellow sapphires" or "pink sapphires" rather than just sapphires, but the blue is obviously the best-known colour.

Tiaraprin, to answer the comment in your last post, if Reynard the moderator shows up he might well know some more details about the necklace. My expertise in jewellery tends to be in knowing some stuff about gems and minerals, not jewels themselves.

 

[branchg]

If you read Menckes' and Field's books (considered by far to be the most comprehensive study of the British royal jewel collection), it is clear that Diana possessed only emeralds, diamonds and sapphires in her personal jewelry collection. Her emeralds included Queen Mary's art deco choker with the Cambridge stones, several bracelets and earrings and a ring. She had one diamond necklace chain from the Saudi Arabians, many diamond bracelets and several rings/pendants.

Diana's favorite stone was sapphires, which she had many valuable pieces of, including her Sri Lankan sapphire pendant with pearls and two huge parures from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The parures were broken up later and reset into pieces she liked, such as the necklace in the pictures. This is quite common practice among the royal family, although it is usually done very discreetly as a matter of form.

 

[Squidgy]

The parure utilized sapphires reset from a bracelet from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia with black Tahitian pearls.

What I still find odd about these purple sapphires is that if this necklace is made out of a bracelet, then where is the original necklace? I mean the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia is not a poor man, so I can't see him being cheap and only giving Diana the earrings and the bracelet. He must have given her a purple sapphire necklace as well, but I have never seen it. And I would imagine that if Diana had been given such a necklace, then she would have had the courtesy to wear it at least once. Something just isn't ringing true here for me ...

 

[Squidgy]

If you read Menckes' and Field's books (considered by far to be the most comprehensive study of the British royal jewel collection), it is clear that Diana possessed only emeralds, diamonds and sapphires in her personal jewelry collection.

Hopefully, these authors didn't forget to mention a ruby or two ...

Photos: Tim Graham/Hello Magazine

 

[tiaraprin]

Diana also possessed Pearls other than her Spencer choker. Charles gave her a pearl and diamond dog collar similar to Queen Alexandra's. A wedding gift from Charles also was a strand of grey pearls from Leo de Vroomen. The giant Sapphire Diana got from the Queen Mum was the centerpiece of a 7 strand pearl choker.

Also, the Oman jewels are not sapphires, they are said to be set with jet.

 

[branchg]

The Queen also gave Diana a pearl choker with a diamond centerpiece, a pearl and diamond bracelet and matching earrings.

 

[Squidgy]

Diana also possessed Pearls other than her Spencer choker. Charles gave her a pearl and diamond dog collar similar to Queen Alexandra's. A wedding gift from Charles also was a strand of grey pearls from Leo de Vroomen.

Tiaraprin, I have heard about the grey pearl necklace too, but have never seen it. Do you ever recall seeing the princess wear it?

 

[james]

Simone Simmons said Diana buried the sapphire pendant from the Saudi Parure in her private Kensington Palace garden as it was giving negative energies and when she decided to retrieve it it was gone.

 

[iowabelle]

Simone Simmons said Diana buried the sapphire pendant from the Saudi Parure in her private Kensington Palace garden as it was giving negative energies and when she decided to retrieve it it was gone.

Maybe one of the butlers dug it up!?

 

[wymanda]

Diana had a fortune in personal jewels ($40 million by some estimates) mostly gifts which were given to her over the years from Middle Eastern monarchs (Saudis, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar) and the Sultan of Brunei. Many of these pieces, in the royal tradition, were not completely to her liking and were later reset in new pieces. All of these jewels were left to Princes William and Harry.

I really wonder if these "gifts" could be considered as Diana's "personal" possessions? Surely they were given to The Princess of Wales, that is the position not the woman. I think it rather bad form to have reset them and would have thought that they should be set aside for future Princess's of Wales ie Williams wife.

 

[Elspeth]

Yes, I think gifts from her family (the Spencers, I mean) and friends might be considered personal, but gifts from foreign heads of state, even if they were wedding gifts, surely don't count as personal.

 

[Squidgy]

I really wonder if these "gifts" could be considered as Diana's "personal" possessions? Surely they were given to The Princess of Wales, that is the position not the woman. I think it rather bad form to have reset them and would have thought that they should be set aside for future Princess's of Wales ie Williams wife.

I agree. She should have looked at her role in regards to these jewels as that of custodian - to safekeep them for future generations. And not just future generations of the Windsors, but for future generations of her fellow countrymen/women.

I also have a problem with the idea of royals receiving lavish gifts when they are touring. For example, I was just reading that during their Gulf tour of 1986, Charles received a convertible Aston Martin worth approx. 80,000 pounds, and Diana received the sapphire/diamond necklace, earrings and bracelet in crescent shape. They were touring the Gulf completely at taxpayers expense (with everything down to their clothes paid for by the State). It's Ok, I think for them to personally receive small token gifts (say of 1000 pounds or less), but I feel any more valuable gifts that they receive should be considered as gifts to the State, not to the couple personally.

 

[Warren]

Paying homage

I also have a problem with the idea of royals receiving lavish gifts when they are touring.

I see it as one Royal House "paying homage", or respect, to the "senior" Royal dynasty. This is how the Royal world works, especially in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. It would be considered very rude to refuse such traditional gifts, and no doubt the Saudis etc take great pleasure in seeing senior members of the British Royal Family wearing the spectacular jewels they have presented them.
.

 

[Squidgy]

I see it as one Royal House "paying homage", or respect, to the "senior" Royal dynasty. This is how the Royal world works, especially in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. It would be considered very rude to refuse such traditional gifts, and no doubt the Saudis etc take great pleasure in seeing senior members of the British Royal Family wearing the spectacular jewels they have presented them.

Yes, I can see your point of view Warren, but I guess part of me is still aprehensive about the royals accepting such lavish gifts - especially when they come from states that do not always have the best records in civil/human rights, political freedoms, etc. But this is just my personal opinion. And yes, you are right, this is the way the Royal World works.

 

[Serena]

Does she just had two different tiaras?!

 

[Warren]

The One Tiara

Does she just had two different tiaras?!

Actually, Diana had just the one tiara, the Lover's Knot, which was a gift from The Queen. The tiara she wore the most often is the Spencer Tiara, which Diana borrowed from her brother the Earl Spencer. She found it lighter and more comfortable than the Royal tiara. Plenty of people have commented it was 'odd' that Diana only had the one tiara; we don't know the reason.
.

 

[Lady Jean]

Do you ever recall seeing the princess wear it?

Diana's grey pearls:

I think Diana wore the grey pearls on at least two occasions, and I believe it was a mix of white and very dark grey, even black pearls. The events I'm thinking of are: the time she was photographed in the black and white coatdress with the Vienna Choir Boys in 1985, and an evening function in '85 when it looks like she wore the Emmanuel black strapless gown again, but the neckline was much highter and tighter on her.

 

[Squidgy]

I must admit that when I heard "grey pearls" the ones you refer to Lady Jean, are the ones that came to my mind. I believe that they were the only pearls that Diana had that weren't white. I'm also sceptical that she received them as a wedding present from Charles, since she didn't wear them for the first time until many years into her marriage.

Here are pictures from the two functions you mention Lady Jean, and also a picture from 1987 when she wore them to a funeral.

It's so frustrating that there is so much mystery behind her jewels ...

Photos: Royalty magazine/Daily Mail/Majesty

 

[Squidgy]

I found a picture of Diana wearing the amethyst (or purple sapphire) bracelet that goes with the necklace and earrings. I really do believe that she wore the set as she received it. For this set of jewellry, I don't think she dismantled a bracelet to make a necklace, etc.

Also, one magazine article I read stated that the strands of the bracelet and necklace are made of strings of small amethysts, which I think is entirely plausible.

Photo: Hello magazine

 

[wymanda]

Actually, Diana had just the one tiara, the Lover's Knot, which was a gift from The Queen. The tiara she wore the most often is the Spencer Tiara, which Diana borrowed from her brother the Earl Spencer. She found it lighter and more comfortable than the Royal tiara. Plenty of people have commented it was 'odd' that Diana only had the one tiara; we don't know the reason.
.

Maybe it was because there was the understanding that Charles would inherit the jewels from the Queen Mother through an informal arrangement that was additional to her will which left everything to the Queen so that death duties were not applicable. IMTS, the Queen Mum had the Boucheron, the Strathmore Rose, the Diamond Scroll and heaven knows how many others we haven't seen in years!

 

[branchg]

I really wonder if these "gifts" could be considered as Diana's "personal" possessions? Surely they were given to The Princess of Wales, that is the position not the woman. I think it rather bad form to have reset them and would have thought that they should be set aside for future Princess's of Wales ie Williams wife.

According to Leslie Fields, all gifts of jewelry to members of the royal family from private individuals, companies or heads of state are considered to be their personal property. Gifts of jewelry from the Sovereign are considered to be "loans" that return to the Crown after the death of the royal, unless the Sovereign agrees they may remain in the possession of the family line of the late royal. Most of Diana's jewels were her personal property and were left to Princes William and Harry.

The jewels Diana received from the Queen and the Queen Mother were retained by the Princess as part of her divorce agreement with the proviso she could not sell or lend them during her lifetime. These pieces were returned to the Queen and will be given to Prince William when he marries.

 

[branchg]

Actually, Diana had just the one tiara, the Lover's Knot, which was a gift from The Queen. The tiara she wore the most often is the Spencer Tiara, which Diana borrowed from her brother the Earl Spencer. She found it lighter and more comfortable than the Royal tiara. Plenty of people have commented it was 'odd' that Diana only had the one tiara; we don't know the reason.

Diana was quoted in the late 80's in Vogue that she did not particularly care for tiaras because of the terrible headaches they gave her. She preferred the Spencer tiara because it was much lighter and more comfortable than the Lover's Knot. She rarely wore them unless it was a state occasion where she had no choice.

 

[Squidgy]

Excellent job Squidgy! Thanks for posting the pictures!

You are welcome ... thank you for the references.

I love the necklace and can't understand why she didn't wear it more often. Also, I meant to point out, that the earrings that she wore with it were quite interesting - one was white, the other dark grey.

Photo: David Levenson

 

[Squidgy]

While going through some of my old "Diana" clippings, I came across a May 16 1994 article from Today newspaper showing Diana wearing the saphire ring she received as a wedding present from the Crown Prince of Saudia Arabia. I'm sorry it's such a bad picture, but it is the only time I have seen the princess wear this ring. Does anyone have a better picture of her wearing it (or even know of other occasions when she wore it)?

Photos: Today

 

[branchg]

Diana had quite a few impressive jewels that she received as wedding gifts or personal gifts over the years from the Gulf state emirs and Saudi royals. She was quoted as saying they were "the rocks" but she often didn't wear the pieces. Diana often wore her favorite pieces (like the Sri Lankan sapphires surrounded by diamonds from the Queen Mother) as she was clearly fond of them.

 

[corazon]

diana with oter tiara, I don't knew the name, the photo are from 1986.
Source: photo 1, bbc
Source: photo 2, my personal collection.